Almost due south of the old town, on the south bank of the Chaophraya River, is the very old temple of Wat Phutthaisawan. With its freshly whitewashed classically styled prang, the temple is easy to overlook. Most guidebooks do, but don't you make that mistake. The temple, with its skewed architecture, is quite interesting.
The temple is said to have been built in the 14th century by King Ramathibodi I, the founder of Ayutthaya, on the site where he lived before setting up the capital on the other side of the river. A monument to King Ramathibodi I, King Nareusan and King Ekathotsarot can be seen in the parking lot of the temple.
The cloister of Wat Phuttaisawan, with its slanted columns.
Somewhere along the line, the temple's plan has been flipped around. If you go past the temple entrance and turn into a small parking east of the temple, you can see the old walls of the ubosot and some old chedis, showing that the entrance and temple grounds used to be on the east side of the prang.
Today, you enter the temple complex on the west side, through a narrow walk between two buildings. The older building, on the right, with its pointed gothic windows, is said to have been the building where the kings of Ayutthaya stayed when visiting the temple. It is supposed to have some great murals, but was closed on our last visit.
Old chedis near the ubosot.
Just past this building is the current ubosot, marked by large crumbling sema stones. Although newer than the prang, the ubosot is still obviously very old. The Buddha image is not particulary remarkable, but the interior columns play a neat trick. We had to do a double-take. The columns are slanted inwards, giving a false sense of height and length to the relatively small ubosot.
Opposite the ubosot are several small chedis bordering the path to the courtyard containing the prang. The courtyard is just large enough to contain the prang, which has a large sanctuary on the eastern side (another clue that the temple has been turned around).
The columns of the courtyard are also slanted inwards, more so towards the middle and then straightening up at the corners. Click on the photo above right to see the effect in the full size picture.
Returning back on the other side of the ubosot, you will see some small buildings and a chedi. The larger building is labeled as the king's dressing room, while the smaller is said to be a store for the king's costumes
The temple is said to have been built in the 14th century by King Ramathibodi I, the founder of Ayutthaya, on the site where he lived before setting up the capital on the other side of the river. A monument to King Ramathibodi I, King Nareusan and King Ekathotsarot can be seen in the parking lot of the temple.
The cloister of Wat Phuttaisawan, with its slanted columns.
Somewhere along the line, the temple's plan has been flipped around. If you go past the temple entrance and turn into a small parking east of the temple, you can see the old walls of the ubosot and some old chedis, showing that the entrance and temple grounds used to be on the east side of the prang.
Today, you enter the temple complex on the west side, through a narrow walk between two buildings. The older building, on the right, with its pointed gothic windows, is said to have been the building where the kings of Ayutthaya stayed when visiting the temple. It is supposed to have some great murals, but was closed on our last visit.
Old chedis near the ubosot.
Just past this building is the current ubosot, marked by large crumbling sema stones. Although newer than the prang, the ubosot is still obviously very old. The Buddha image is not particulary remarkable, but the interior columns play a neat trick. We had to do a double-take. The columns are slanted inwards, giving a false sense of height and length to the relatively small ubosot.
Opposite the ubosot are several small chedis bordering the path to the courtyard containing the prang. The courtyard is just large enough to contain the prang, which has a large sanctuary on the eastern side (another clue that the temple has been turned around).
The columns of the courtyard are also slanted inwards, more so towards the middle and then straightening up at the corners. Click on the photo above right to see the effect in the full size picture.
Returning back on the other side of the ubosot, you will see some small buildings and a chedi. The larger building is labeled as the king's dressing room, while the smaller is said to be a store for the king's costumes
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